The present invention relates to an air bag device for protecting a front seat passenger in a vehicle.
In a conventional air bag device for protecting a front seat passenger, an air bag is accommodated in a container-like retainer in a folded state and the front opening of the retainer is covered with a lid. An inflator (gas generator) for inflating the air bag is disposed at the bottom of the retainer. The lid is formed of a covering member separate from an instrument panel or formed of a certain area of the instrument panel defined by tear lines.
The conventional air bag device for protecting the front seat passenger includes the container-like retainer, and it is, therefore, necessary to design the retainer to have specific shape and size so as to meet the layout requirements (size and shape) of a space behind the instrument panel.
The object of the present invention is to provide an air bag device, in which all or most of the components can be used in common in various vehicle models with different layout requirements of the space behind the instrument panel.
An air bag device of the present invention comprises an air bag in a folded state, a base plate to which the air bag is fixed, and an inflator fixed to the base plate, wherein the base plate is arranged only behind the air bag.
Further, an air bag device of the present invention comprises an air bag in a folded state, a base plate to which the air bag is fixed, and an inflator fixed to the base plate. The front of the air bag is covered by an instrument panel, and the instrument panel has tear lines which allow the deployment of the air bag into a vehicle cabin when the air bag is inflated with gas spouted out from the inflator and thus presses the back of the instrument panel, wherein the base plate is arranged only behind the air bag.
In the air bag device for protecting the front seat passenger, the base plate which is arranged only behind the air bag is used instead of the conventional container-like retainer. The air bag device can be installed in various vehicles in case only air bag-fixing portions are made similar, regardless of the profile or configuration of the instrument panel.
When the front of the air bag of the device for the passenger""s seat is covered by the instrument panel, the instrument panel has tear lines formed in a portion in front of the air bag and can open just like a door because of rupture of the tear lines.
According to one embodiment of the present invention, a frame portion integrally formed in the instrument panel surrounds the periphery of the air bag. In this case, the frame portion may be long to surround the entire periphery of the air bag, or may be short to surround just a portion of the periphery of the air bag near the instrument panel.
According to the present invention, a surrounding member for surrounding the periphery of the air bag, which is provided separately from the base plate or from the instrument panel may be attached to the base plate.
This surrounding member which has a shape and a size meeting the layout requirements of the space behind the instrument panel may be employed. That is, the base plate can be common to most of the models of the vehicles if only the surrounding member is designed to correspond to the model. In this manner, the air bag device for the passenger""s seat can be installed in most of the models of the vehicles.
The surrounding member may be movable relative to the base plate in the depth direction, thereby more effectively absorbing impact on the instrument panel when an occupant collides with the instrument panel. In this case, the surrounding member may be supported on the base plate by a resin member, and the resin member may be compressed by the surrounding member and thus plastically deformed when the surrounding member moves relative to the base plate in the depth direction. This structure achieves further more effective absorption of impact on the instrument panel.
The surrounding member may be hooked to the instrument panel. For example, when a relatively short frame portion is disposed on the instrument panel, hooks provided on the surrounding member are engaged with hook holes formed in the frame portion.